The Iowa World Language Association is committed to supporting innovation among our teachers by providing grant funding for classroom materials or technology that can improve teaching and learning. Each year at the fall conference, up to two grants of up to $500 each are awarded. Teachers are eligible to apply for a grant every three years.

Grant application guidelines:

- Grant recipients must be members in good standing of the Iowa World Language Association.

- Grants from the IWLA will be determined by the availability of funds from year to year, based on the budget. Grants to individual teachers will not exceed $500.

- Grants are primarily for, but not limited to, innovative projects. Priority is given to requests which are unique in nature, and which clearly demonstrate an ability to reach great numbers of teachers and students.

- Requests to support applicants’ travel to target cultures will not be considered, nor should applicants submit requests to be paid for the time they spend on a project.

- Upon notification of acceptance, the applicant will be allotted one-half of the funds allocated. The remainder of the grant will be forwarded only when receipts for all expenses for the approved project have been submitted to the IWLA President-Elect, who will verify that the project is completed. The President-Elect will then notify the Treasurer to forward the remaining grant money to the recipient.

- If a project is funded, the recipient is also expected to share his or her work in one of two ways:

1. a brief article submitted to be posted on the IWLA website, or

2. a presentation at the annual IWLA conference. This must be done within one year after the termination of the project.

- Applications will be coded to ensure anonymity of applicants for the benefit of the Grants Committee’s selections. Please avoid language on the application that would easily identify the person, school, or district involved.

All completed grant applications should be submitted via the online application form below. Beyond basic identifying information, applicants will be asked to do the following on the form:

- Offer a brief description of the project

- Describe how the project is innovative or unique

- Explain how many people will benefit from the project

- Provide an itemized budget

- Confirm that the project has been approved by school/district administration

The IWLA President-Elect will coordinate the applications and remove all identifiers. Completed applications received before the deadline will be forwarded anonymously to the IWLA Grants Committee in order to ensure a fair and unbiased decision.

The IWLA Grants Committee rates the proposals according to the rubric attached below. We encourage all applicants to review the rubric in advance and to highlight how the funds will foster innovation and language learning.